Android Phones Now Capable of Remaining Unlocked Due to Body Detection

Smart lock, a feature introduced in Android 5.0 that allows smartphone owners to keep their device unlocked while within trusted zones, has been upgraded to support on-body detection. The feature, which has yet to be officially announced by Google but is already available on select Android devices, keeps phones unlocked through onboard accelerometer readings. After a phone is accessed for the first time, smart lock will keep a phone unlocked until the device is placed down and the accelerometer detects that the device is no longer held or carried by a person. While the feature is certainly intriguing, as it allows owners of Android devices to save time by not constantly unlocking their device, it does pose a security risk, since smart lock will keep a device unlocked as long as it detects constant motion.